Feeler mechanism for looms



June 29 ,1926. 1,590,564

H. A. DAVIS I FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOiVIS Filed March 11, 1926 MANIA/T01? YWW.

ATTORNEY Patented June 29, 1926.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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Application filed larch 11, 1920. 8erla1' in. ma

This invention relates to feeler mechanisms for looms, and more particularly to the transmitting means controlled by the feeler for effecting replenishment of filling.

Filling replenishing looms are now ordinarily provided with a feeler which enters the shuttle and detects the condition of the filling therein, and upon substantial exhaustion of such filling effects replenishment.

As now ordinarily. constructedsuch replenishment looms are provided with a transmitting mechanism between the feeler and "the replenishing controlling means for effectingoperation of the replenishing mechae tion therewith.

nism when the fillin is to be changed.

It is now the or ary practice to pro-;

vide such filling re lenishing looms with an actuator for positioning the re lenishing' mechanism when a change of filhn is re quired, and such actuator is usual y connected to the transverse or change shaft extendingtransversely oftheloom. Duringnormaljweaving operation the rear end portlonlof I the actuator is not engaged by the operating member, but upon call for replenishment of filling by the feeler, it'is operatively positioned to be moved frontwardly by the operating member to effect the change.

The common practice now is to support u on the shipper stand a bracket or arm on w 'ch is mounted a bell crank lever or other device for 'operatively positioning the rear end portion of the actuator when the feeler calls for a change. Such brackets or other supports, however, while satisfactory, nevertheless obstruct the free manipulation of the loom parts by the loom attendant, especially when attention is to be given to the shuttle box at the feeler side of the loom, and one of the ob'ects, of the present invention'is to provi e a transmitting mechanism between the feeler and the actuator which will ofier no objectionto the loom attendant in manipulating parts of the loom rearward of the shipper stand. In accordancewi the present ln ention' the transmitting mechanism comprises a leverassociated with the feeler and actuate thereby to operatively position the rear end of the actuator on call for a change of filling and such lever is mounted directly upon the actuator itself and is movable therewith as the latter is actuated to efl'ect replenishment of filling.

The invention and novel. features thereof will best bemade clearfrom the following descriptionand accompanying drawings of one good form thereof.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is apersp'ective view of a feeler-mechanism containin the resent invention, only such parts of the 00m being shown as are necessary to make clear the association of the present inven- Fig. 2 is an enlar ed perspectiveview of the parts shown inv ig. 1, and particularly the actuator, and the mounting of the actuator positioning means. As indicated in Fig.

.51 is provided with the usual shipper 2 mov able in the shipper notch 3 to and from its loom running position.

The actuator 4 in the present instance provided with a foot 5 which normally rests upon the top of the shipper stand and supports the. actuator in its frontward and rearward movements, and the front end portion of the actuator is pivoted at 6 to the arm 7 whichis connected to thetransverseor rock shaft, as usual. 1 r *Pivotally mounted upon the actuator 4 is a bunter 8 which may be constructed as usual and, as shown, is pivotally secured to the actuator by the pivot pin 9. The bunter Shae an u per finger 10 and a bunter finger 11 adapts t?) be eng ed and moved frontwardly b the operat ng member; which isherein s o n as the usual weft'hammer 12,

thelatter being provided with a bunter engaging portion 13. The construction and operation of the parts by which the acti1a d thereof formno essential partof the present.

invention.

1, the shipper stand Tj as the actuator 1s given its filling replenishing movement.-

In the illustrated form of the invention the actuator 4 is provided near its rear end with a laterally extending bracket 14 which may be madeas part of the actuator or be secured thereto in any appropriate manner,

and mounted upon the laterally extended bracket 14': is the bell crank lever 15 pivotally supported by the pivot bolt 16. The bell crank lever 15 has an arm 17 which underlies the finger 10 of the bunter, and is also provided with a downwardly extending arm 18 which normally rests against a stop v19 formed on or connected to the bracket 14. When the parts are in the position shown, the notched portion 13 of the weft hammer will clear the hunter finger 11, rwhereas if the bunter is rocked upwardly under the influence of the bell crank lever 15 the bunter-finger 11 will be engaged by the notched portion of the weft hammer and filling replenishment be-eifected.

The feeler which controls the position of the bell crank lever 15 may be of any. usual or appropriate construction, and, in the present instance, is shown as of the side a swipe type substantially as more fully shown and described in the patent to Edward S. Stimpson, No. 1,309,226, July 8, 1919. The inclined feeler 20 is mounted upon the usual feeler stand 21 and the latter may .be adjustably secured to the shipper stand, all as usual in this type of loom. Mounted in bearings at the rear portion of the feeler stand is a slide 22 through which the feeler 20 passes, and such slide is connected to the bell crank lever 15 by a transmitter or rod 23, the construction being such that upon indication for replenishment of filling by the feeler the transmitter will actuate the bell crank lever and position the bunter finger 11 in the path of the actuator and initiate replenishment of filling. The support for the bell crank .lever 15, it 'will be noted, is made as part of or secured to the actuator l, thereby removing the usual bracket or support, hitherto extending from the shipper stand, and permitting free access to the loom parts by the loom attendant The lost motion between the feeler and the slide 22 is such that when the actuator 4 is v moved frontwardly, carrying with it the bell crank lever 15 and its support,-the transmitter 23 will be permitted suflicient' latitude of movement to enable the bell crank lever and its support to move with the actuator with out disturbing the ,relation of the parts. While the bracket or support heretofore secured to the shipper stand has been satisfactorily in use; it nevertheless interferes to some extent with the loom attendants manipulation of the shuttle box parts at the feeler side of the loom, whereas by the prescut inventionsuch previous bracket or support is entirely eliminated and the bell' c-rank lever is supported directly upon the actuator and is movable relatively thereto by the feeler and: also is movable with the actuator as the latter calls for a change of filling.

What is claimed is':- a

1. In a filling replenishing loom having a feeler for determining the condition of the filling in a shuttle, an actuator mounted for movement frontwardly of the loom to effect replenishment of filling and having a lateral y extending bracket, a bunter pivotally mounted upon the actuator, an operating member adapted to engage the bunter to shift the actuator, a bell crank lever directly mounted upon said actuator carried bracket to'position the bunter, and means under the control of the feeler for rocking the bell crank lever to move the bunter into position to be engaged by the operating member.

2. In a filling replenishing loom having a feeler for determining the condition of the filling in a shuttle, an actuator mounted for movement frontwardly of the loom to effect.

replenishment of filling, a hunter pivotally mounted upon the actuator and normally supported in its inoperative position, a rocking weft hammer adapted to strike the bunter to shift the actuator, a bellcrank lever pivotally mounted upon the-actuator and having an arm that engages the bunter,

and means under the control of the feeler for rocking the bell crank lever to move the bunter into position to be struck by the weft hammer.

) I 3. In a filling replenishing loom having a feeler for determining the condition of the filling in a shuttle, an actuator mounted for movement frontwardl of the loom to effect replenishment of filling, a bunter pivotally mounted upon the actuator to project rearwardly from its pivot' point and normally supported in its inoperative position, a rocking weft hammer adapted to strike the rearwardly extending end of the bunter to "shift the actuator, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted upon andmovable with the actuator and havin one arm positioned under the bunter to it, and means under the control of the feeler for rocking the bell crank lever to move the bunter into position to be struck by the weft hammer.

4. In a feeler loom having a feeler for hammer adapted to strike the rearwardly means under the control of the feeler for extending end of the bunter to shift the acrocking the bell crank lever to move the tuator, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted bun'ter into position to be struck by the weft upon the actuator at one side of its central hammer.

6 longitudinal axis to rock in a vertical plane In testimony whereof, I have signed my extending-transversely of the actuator and name to this specification. having an arm that engages the hunter, and HARRY A. DAVIS. 

